CableNewser Questioner: Covering the Caucus

Dave Busiek is the News Director at KCCI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa. He has served as the Chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, and has been on the organization's Board of Directors since 1992.

How do you extensively report on the caucus without going overboard - what is the balance there?

Most of us have been around for many caucus cycles. I've been a journalist in Iowa since 1976, so we have some experience at keeping things in balance. It's a big story for us. The eyes of the nation are watching. So I'm not too concerned about going overboard. It's quite a spectacle, with thousands of volunteers, campaign employees, media types, etc coming to our state. And it's a process all Iowans take a lot of pride in - getting to know the candidates, studying the issues. It's serious business here. I've not had any complaints from viewers about too much coverage.

How would you describe the encampment of media that report from Iowa every four years?

We enjoy rubbing shoulders with the best and the brightest in the media world every four years. It gets very hectic trying to help answer questions and provide guidance on where to go and who to talk to. We're all reporters, so we understand what it's like to parachute into a community and try to do a good job summarizing the events surrounding a big story. It's no different than when one of our reporters from Des Moines goes into a smaller county seat town in Iowa and starts nosing around. It's a little unusual for the natives, but most understand journalists have a job to do.

How does the drama and uncertainty of this caucus compare to past years -- and does it seem that the amount of media coverage has increased or decreased consequently?

I'd say it's about the same, although I think this last week has been more intense because the outcome is not a foregone conclusion.

Four years ago, all the polls showed Gore an easy winner on the Democratic side and Bush was way out front on the GOP side because McCain skipped Iowa.
 

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